Dear Corporate Overlords...

Just a small request of your minions in box stores - I don't know you, I've probably never seen you before in my life. We never hang out. I'm not your buddy, bud, pal or guy. If you want me to part with hard earned dollars at your company, the least you can do is show a small token of respect.

Also, I don't talk to recordings - at least not intentionally - I realize that at the drivethrough a brief "try our new strawbeddy smudie" might help your revenues - I'm just there for coffee - I'll wait to order until I hear another human. By the way, what the hell is a smudie? Just a thought - get an english as a first language person to make your recordings.

ok small rebellion - rant/

oldtin wrote: get an english as a first language person to make your recordings. ok small rebellion - rant/

RACIST!!! How dare you try to take money out of the mouths of those who deserve it!

The local Taco Bell (I know, grade F meat, etc...) starts every drive through conversation with "Welcome to Taco Bell, how are you today?". OK, fine they are friendly, so I answer "I'm doing well, thanks". This is always followed by about 15-30 seconds of dead time while they sit confused as to why I haven't told them my order. They are so accustomed to people ignoring their friendly banter that they don't even realize they are not actually asking people to order.

I don't care where anyone is from - if you want me to buy something - at least be able to pronounce it.

Not speaking the official language of the country you are a citizen of has nothing to do with racism.

It does, however, have everything to do with ignorance.

Trans_Maro wrote: Not speaking the official language of the country you are a citizen of has nothing to do with racism. It does, however, have everything to do with ignorance.

IIRC the US has no official language.

Wups, didn't mean to press that button. When I'm in France, I speak French. If I'm Germany, German it is. If I'm in Spain I'll speak Spanish, although I wouldn't expect anyone in Germany, France or Spain would have me make promotional recordings for them.

MrJoshua wrote: The local Taco Bell (I know, grade F meat, etc...) starts every drive through conversation with "Welcome to Taco Bell, how are you today?". OK, fine they are friendly, so I answer "I'm doing well, thanks". This is always followed by about 15-30 seconds of dead time while they sit confused as to why I haven't told them my order. They are so accustomed to people ignoring their friendly banter that they don't even realize they are not actually asking people to order.

You must live in a nicer place than me.

The local Taco bell in my town had it's night staff arrested for selling drugs through the drive up window.

internetautomart wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote: Not speaking the official language of the country you are a citizen of has nothing to do with racism. It does, however, have everything to do with ignorance.

IIRC the US has no official language.

And that's exactly the problem, the U.S. doesn't have an official language so anything goes. Schools must furnish all kinds of different language teachers, forms have to be printed in all kinds of obscure languages, the govt has to have translators for this and for that. Now if there was an official language we might still do all these things just to be nice, but we wouldn't have to do them on the scale that it is now. You might have to go to the office across town to find a translator that speaks your language instead of each office having to hire someone or make the translator come to you.

You are talking an expense of billions of dollars every year just because we were too chicken to make English the official language.

The Native Americans I've met joke about when this "English" fad will blow over.

Hmm..

Canada has two official languages, I speak one of them.

That's more than I can say for a lot of folks.

Shawn

carguy123 wrote: You are talking an expense of billions of dollars every year just because we were too chicken to make English the official language.

Or smart enough to learn multiple languages ourselves?

dj wrote:

carguy123 wrote: You are talking an expense of billions of dollars every year just because we were too chicken to make English the official language.

Or smart enough to learn multiple languages ourselves?

Sogyantai

dj wrote:

carguy123 wrote: You are talking an expense of billions of dollars every year just because we were too chicken to make English the official language.

Or smart enough to learn multiple languages ourselves?

Many of us know multiple languages but that doesn't do anything to alleviate the problem and costs of there being no official language.

dj wrote: Or smart enough to learn multiple languages ourselves?

The Minneapolis school district says there are over 90 different languages spoken in their schools, so that may be tough...

I get way more torqued up when a sales person says something like "hey bud, can I help you." than the language thing - I just thought it was sort of odd to have a prerecorded sales message pronounced so poorly. Maybe I'm just turning into a crusty old codger or falling out of times where it's ok for sales people to address customers in a familar/casual and it's me that interprets it as a pejorative comment.

As far as the language thing goes - 82% of Americans claim English as their first language with something between 20-25% who can hold a conversation in a second language. Some say mandating English is oppressive, arrogant and used as a tool of the elite to suppress other cultures. OTOH English is the lingua franca in the global world of finance, trade, engineering... (i.e. when a Japanese airliner is landing in France - the pilot and tower are speaking English). For the most part - that hits at about 105 on my top 100 priorities.

oldtin wrote: I get way more torqued up when a sales person says something like "hey bud, can I help you." than the language thing - I just thought it was sort of odd to have a prerecorded sales message pronounced so poorly. Maybe I'm just turning into a crusty old codger or falling out of times where it's ok for sales people to address customers in a familar/casual and it's me that interprets it as a pejorative comment.

I tend to agree - it's not so much the language thing, as long as they're polite, and actually look me in the face when I talk to them.

I do kind of like messing with their cadence...I'll step up to the counter and say, "I'll have the burger and fries to go", which is almost always followed by their response of, "is that for here or to go." I always wonder if they didn't hear me, or if they're so programmed so they just can't respond any other way.

carguy123 wrote:

internetautomart wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote: Not speaking the official language of the country you are a citizen of has nothing to do with racism. It does, however, have everything to do with ignorance.

IIRC the US has no official language.

And that's exactly the problem, the U.S. doesn't have an official language so anything goes. Schools must furnish all kinds of different language teachers, forms have to be printed in all kinds of obscure languages, the govt has to have translators for this and for that. Now if there was an official language we might still do all these things just to be nice, but we wouldn't have to do them on the scale that it is now. You might have to go to the office across town to find a translator that speaks your language instead of each office having to hire someone or make the translator come to you. You are talking an expense of billions of dollars every year just because we were too chicken to make English the official language.

I agree with you 100%. I am "multilingual" but in this country speak American dang flab it! I have a few friends who are first gen immigrants and they speak perfect english. At least one of them is all in favor of making speaking American a prerequisite to being a citizen. FWIW he is hispanic, but not a messican or rican